Florian Boesch Schubert

Published shortly after Franz Schubert's death in 1828, Schwanengesang is a collection of 14 lieder on seven texts by Ludwig Rellstab, six by Heinrich Heine, and one by Johann Gabriel Seidl, whose poem became Die Taubenpost, claimed to be Schubert's final song. Unlike most performances of Schwanengesang, which follow the published edition, baritone Florian Boesch's rearranged version on Onyx lacks Die Taubenpost, which was not included in Schubert's fair copy of the cycle. Instead, Boesch adds five songs on Sturm und Drang poems by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, making this recording somewhat controversial among purists.

Bass-baritone Florian Boesch, top-class Lied-singer, blooms in a Schubert programme (finest orchestrations by Brahms and Webern) with the renowned Concentus Musicus, the Viennese orchestra now led by the talented Stefan Gottfried. Next to these sublimated pieces, the Concentus performs a finished version of the mysterious ‘Unfinished’ Symphony. A Scherzo by Schubert himself was completed by a composer (Nicola Samale) and a musicologist (Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs) so that the result is faithful to the musician special expression. And Rosamunde’s Overture concludes this re-enactment: a moving experience and a touching journey through time!